Woodleigh School is proudly and confidently coeducational, and coeducation has been one of the core values of the School since its foundation. Our Junior Campus is in fact the oldest coeducational independent primary school in Victoria, and our Senior Campus was developed as a coeducational campus from the earliest stage of its planning. We are therefore well experienced in coeducation.At Woodleigh School, the education of girls and boys together is seen as the most healthy, natural, and normal setting for learning. It is one of the ways that the School recognises the equality of the sexes.

We aim to provide a broad range of activities and experiences, tailored to meet the developmental needs of the widest possible range of individuals, whether they be girls or boys. Our programs have our students learning in and through mixed gender experiences. Our students’ achievements in all parts of the School’s program are testament to the success of our philosophies and practices.

Coeducation v. Single Sex Education

There has been a generally held perception in the community in recent years that girls are better off academically in single sex schools although boys may be better off in coeducational settings.

It is very important to examine what the research tells us, as it is quite at odds with community perceptions with respect to girls’ education (although it supports the position on boys’ education).

The following essential points emerge from the research of the 1990s:

• The research from the 1980's apparently supporting single sex education for girls is now regarded as seriously flawed and invalid. Much of this research made inappropriate comparisons between single sex independent girls’ schools and coeducational government schools.
  
• It is now accepted that, once factors to do with socio-economic background are taken into account, there is no empirical evidence to establish the claim that girls in single sex schools do better than their counterparts in coeducational schools in terms of personal confidence or academic success, including the key areas of maths, science and technology.
  
• It is the quality of the school which matters, rather than whether it is single sex or coeducational.
  
• The research on boys’ education has however presented a consistent and clear message throughout: boys perform better academically in a coeducational setting. They also consistently report greater enjoyment and higher self esteem in coeducational settings, and assessments of their social attitudes indicate far fewer sexist attitudes.
  
• Girls and boys do have different learning styles, but there are significant individual differences, and all students’ learning is enhanced by use of a variety of learning styles.
  
• Reports of girls’ lower self esteem and experience of harrassment in coeducational settings do not stand up to close scrutiny, especially when some of the negative social/emotional effects of educating girls separately are taken into account. All good schools are proactive with respect to students’ self esteem and issues of harassment - regardless of gender.
  
• There has been a clear trend towards coeducation in the last decade (in 1985, 29% of Australian independent schools were coeducational; in 1995, exactly 50% were coeducational). Media articles have implied the opposite.
  
• In conclusion, even the most cautious summary of the 1990s research would acknowledge that the academic progress of boys is probably improved by coeducation, while that of girls is not harmed. When other factors, such as self esteem, enjoyment and formation of social attitudes, are taken into account, the research clearly supports coeducation.
  

A more detailed statement on coeducation and a summary of the latest research (with references) is available from the School.